Dear WW: I told you a long time ago I lived three years in Herndon, a mile east of control
tower at Dulles. The soil there was red clay. The red is indeed from iron, but in tightly
bonded enough not to be in excess. But red clay is commendably fertile. Only probblem
is narrow window of ploughing schedule. The Massachusetts soil is orange and yellow
sand and doesn't hold nutrients at all well. Colonial farms played out very quickly, and
farmers had to find new land elsewhere. I read about a farm of fifteen acres arable,
and fifteen of woodland. But half the value of farm was in three acres of salt meadow,
where sea replenished nutrients removed with hay. When I hear nuts talking about
wonders of organic farming, I'd like to have them compelled to make it work on such
a farm. Even rapacious Lord Faldage with his sheep byproducts extorted from his pathetic
peasants would have a tough time with soil llike that.
